𐩱𐩨
Sabaean
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From Proto-Semitic *ʔab- (“father”). Compare Arabic أَب (ʾab, “father”), Hebrew אָב (ʾav, “father”), and Ge'ez አብ (ʾab, “father”).
Sabaean root family 𐩱𐩨 (ʾb) — father; ancestor
| Root profile | |
|---|---|
| Root | 𐩱𐩨 (ʾb) — father; ancestor |
| Type | biliteral kinship base |
| Radicals | 𐩱 (ʾ) · 𐩨 (b) |
| Proto-Semitic comparison | *ʔab- (“father”) |
| Semantic field | kinship; ancestry; genealogy; lineage |
| Sabaean terms and comparisons | |
|---|---|
| Core terms | 𐩱𐩨 (ʾb, “father; ancestor”) |
| Nominal derivatives | 𐩱𐩨𐩣 (ʾbm, “father”), 𐩱𐩨𐩬 (ʾbn), 𐩱𐩨𐩥𐩩 (ʾbwt, “people, tribe; ancestral group”), 𐩱𐩨𐩠 (ʾbh), 𐩱𐩱𐩨𐩥 (ʾʾbw) |
| Forms and variants | 𐩱𐩨 (ʾb) is frequent before pronominal suffixes; 𐩱𐩨𐩺 (ʾby), 𐩱𐩨𐩠 (ʾbh), 𐩱𐩨𐩠𐩺 (ʾbhy), 𐩱𐩱𐩨𐩥 (ʾʾbw), and 𐩱𐩨𐩥𐩩 (ʾbwt) are source-listed dual or plural pronominal-suffix forms. |
| Related terms | 𐩱𐩣 (ʾm, “mother”), 𐩨𐩬 (bn, “son”), 𐩨𐩬𐩩 (bnt, “daughter”), 𐩥𐩡𐩵 (wld, “child, offspring”) |
| Compare | Arabic أَب (ʾab, “father”), Hebrew אָב (ʾav, “father”), Ge'ez አብ (ʾab, “father”) |
Noun
[edit]𐩱𐩨 (ʾb) m
- father.
- “CIH 37”, in DASI: Corpus of South Arabian Inscriptions[1], lines 1–3:
- Yhʿn Ḏbyn bn Ys¹mʿʾl bn S¹mhkrb mlk S¹mʿy ... w-kl qny-hw w-qny ʾb-hw Ys¹mʿʾl
- Yhʿn Ḏbyn, son of Ys¹mʿʾl, son of S¹mhkrb, king of S¹mʿy ... and all his possessions and the possessions of his father Ys¹mʿʾl
- forefather; male ancestor; paternal forebear.
- “CIH 37”, in DASI: Corpus of South Arabian Inscriptions[2], lines 2–3:
- w-ʾrḍt twrṯy ʾb-hmy S¹mhʾfq bn S¹mhyfʿ mlk S¹mʿy
- and the lands which they both inherited from their ancestor S¹mhʾfq, son of S¹mhyfʿ, king of S¹mʿy
- (plural) fathers; forefathers; male ancestors.
- “CIH 37”, in DASI: Corpus of South Arabian Inscriptions[3], lines 6–7:
- b-mwhbt whbw ʾbh-hw w-ʾʿmm-hw ʾqwl Yhybb
- by the grants which his forefathers and uncles, the qawls of Yhybb, granted him
- “X.BSB 100”, in DASI: Corpus of South Arabian Inscriptions[4], lines 7–9:
- k-ʾl yḥts¹b-kmw hny s³ʿ ʾbh-hmw w-ʾmrʾ-hmw
- that they do not charge to your account anything of the wealth of their ancestors and their lords
- (collective) ancestral group; lineage; family or clan group, especially in forms such as 𐩱𐩨𐩥𐩩 (ʾbwt).
- “CIH 609”, in DASI: Corpus of South Arabian Inscriptions[5], lines 2–6:
- w-ʾl b-ʿbr w-b-ʿly kl ʾbwt-hmw w-s²ʿb-hmw Mʿnm ... w-bn w-ʿln kl ʾbwt-hmw w-s²ʿb-hmw Mʿnm
- and it is no longer the responsibility of all their elders and their tribe Maʿīn ... and in relation to all their elders and their tribe Maʿīn
Usage notes
[edit]Sabaweb gives the main noun 𐩱𐩨 (ʾb) under the meanings “father, forefather, ancestor”. In inscriptions it may refer to a biological father, a named genealogical ancestor, or a more remote male forebear.
The plural and pronominal-suffix forms often have an ancestral sense rather than a narrow “fathers” sense. Forms such as 𐩱𐩨𐩠 (ʾbh) and 𐩱𐩨𐩠𐩺 (ʾbhy) should often be translated as “forefathers” or “ancestors” when the context is genealogical, property-related, or lineage-based.
Sabaweb separately lists 𐩱𐩨𐩥𐩩 (ʾbwt) with collective meanings such as “people”, “tribe”, “family”, or “lineage”. This form may be connected with 𐩱𐩨 (ʾb), but it should not be treated mechanically as an ordinary transparent plural in every passage. Where the context is institutional or tribal, translate it as “elders”, “families”, “lineages”, “people”, or “tribal groups” according to the inscription.
Inflection
[edit]| Number | Construct / unmarked | Indeterminate | Determinate | Pronominal-suffix state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unspecified | — | — | — | — |
| Singular | 𐩱𐩨 (ʾb) | 𐩱𐩨𐩣 (ʾbm) | 𐩱𐩨𐩬 (ʾbn) | 𐩱𐩨 (ʾb) |
| Dual | — | — | — | 𐩱𐩨𐩺 (ʾby) |
| Plural | 𐩱𐩨𐩥𐩩 (ʾbwt) | — | — | 𐩱𐩨𐩠 (ʾbh) / 𐩱𐩨𐩠𐩺 (ʾbhy) / 𐩱𐩱𐩨𐩥 (ʾʾbw) / 𐩱𐩨𐩥 (ʾbw) / 𐩱𐩨𐩥𐩩 (ʾbwt) |
| Collective | — | — | — | — |
Source: Sabaweb. Forms are source-listed, not generated. Sabaweb records the lemma as ʾbm, with determinate ʾbn, construct ʾb, frequent singular pronominal-suffix ʾb, dual pronominal-suffix ʾby, and several plural pronominal-suffix forms including ʾbh, ʾbhy, ʾʾbw, ʾbw, and ʾbwt. The form ʾbwt is also separately listed by Sabaweb as a collective term meaning people, tribe, family, or lineage.